FMQ Lesson #1 EXTRA FMQ RESOURCES. Summary of Video Lessons. Blogs/Websites. FMQ Books SKILL LEVEL. Inspiration

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1 1 FMQ Lesson #1 January 31, 2013 FMQ Lesson #1 Summary of Video Lessons Welcome to Skill Builder BOM Free Motion Quilting Lesson #1. This section will be a summary of the 7 part video lessons in the blog post. The videos are quite long, I had such a hard time narrowing my over 20 videos down to only 7, so bear with me. I promise that the future FMQ Lesson s will be much shorter. But, since we are introducing FMQ it will require more. Be sure to watch the videos! I am not repeating everything I did in the videos in this PDF lesson and Post, so be sure not to miss it. If you are having trouble viewing the videos please me SKILL LEVEL We have a very wide range of skill levels participating in this BOM. My goal is to help each of you improve and build your FMQ skills. But, I may not be able to fill every gap, so please refer to the Extra Resources below to help fill in any gaps I may leave. Please please please do not be scared of Free Motion Quilting. The goal of this BOM is to learn, practice, and even make mistakes. If you go into it with a fearless attitude you will have much more success! EXTRA FMQ RESOURCES Blogs/Websites FMQ Books Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters In the Studio with Angela Walters Doodle Quilting Inspiration Machine Quilting Inspiration Pinterest Board Quilt as Desired Flickr Group Modern Free Motion Quilting Flickr Group Zentangle Untangled

2 2 Beginner Help Free Motion Quilting is Cristy at Purple Daises First Steps to FMQ with Leah Day Introduction to Free Motion Quilting with Christa Quilts TOOLS & SUPPLIES Darning or FMQ Foot (here is the tutorial to modify your generic foot youtube.com/watch?v=apd6s7pwoqu) Embroidery Machine Needles in proper size to work with your thread Matching or Coordinating Threads Quilt Halo or Quilting Gloves Extension Table for your Machine *optional Supreme Slider (my favorite tool) 10 x 10 practice quilt sandwiches with top, batting, and backing (as many as your willing to make) Printed Block Outlines of Sound Wave and Magnum Pencil, Sketch Book Thread tree PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE When doing free motion quilting you will need to train your hands and mind. You will need to learn how to think ahead, and the best way to practice this without using up a ton of practice quilt sandwiches is to get out a pencil and paper. I encourage you to get a sketch book just for your quilting designs. Start with one design and draw it over and over and over, trying to draw in a continuous line. For example start with a basic stipple which I have taught in the Video Lessons. FMQ FAQ I think the best way I can sum up the video tutorials is to provide you with a free motion quilting FAQ! My machine did not come with a FMQ foot, what do I do? You will need to purchase one that is compatible with your machine, if there is none you will need to purchase a generic. You will need to look online and research what fits on your machine. If you end up with a cheaper bouncy spring action foot I suggest falling Leah Day s tutorial for modifying the foot to stay in place, you will get much better results. What Type of Needles should I use? I suggest using a ball point needle. Also known as an Embroidery Needle. You will also need to choose needles that are the proper size for the weight thread you are using. Check with the thread manufacturer to know which size needle to buy. How often should I change my needle? I like to put a fresh needle in my machine with every new project, I also like to clean my machine at that time. For example I cleaned my machine and installed a new needle before I started quilting this months blocks. What Brand & Size Thread should I use? This is an often debated preference. I personally use Aurifil 40wt for my machine quilting. 40wt will show more than a 50wt which is the look I desire. I also prefer 100% cotton. What Color Thread should I use? Here is another preference issue. I personally like to use matching thread. I feel like it gives a quilt a beautiful texture, without screaming LOOK AT ME. But, what if I used 50 colors in a quilt? I will choose a few colors that should match the majority, or I use a beige or gray. It is always suggested to use the same color thread in the top as the bobbin, but I break that rule sometimes. Here is when I WOULD not use two different colors. If you have a dark backing and a light quilt top DO NOT use a dark thread in the bobbin and a light thread in the top, no matter how good your tension is you will see little pops of the dark bobbin thread ALL over the quilt top. Trust me I learned the hard way. I would use the lighter thread to match the quilt top for the top and bottom! Do I have to get the Quilt Halo or Gloves? I feel like you really need to have one or the other, they will really help give you more control when quilting which will help you achieve better overall quilting.

3 3 Do I need the Supreme Slider? No, but it is amazing! If you don t have one you could try a Silicone Spray. You spray this on a rag then wipe down your quilting area and it can make everything move smoother. Why do you use a thread tree? I personally do NOT like the horizontal thread holders built into sewing machines. I find that they usually can cause all kinds of tension issues. So I use a separate thread tree for my thread. Watch the video and I will explain this further. What settings do I need to set my machine to? First sew normally with some test fabric, be sure your tension is okay. Then change you foot to a FMQ foot. Set your machine to stitch length 0. This will disengage your feed dogs from pulling your fabric. They will still move up and down which is fine. Most machine quilters drop there feed dogs, but I find I have prettier stitches when I leave my feed dogs up. If you do this you MUST put your stitch length at 0. My machine does not have automatic needle down what do I do? When you stop quilting you ALWAYS want your needle down into the quilt, some machines have a setting to stop in the downward position, and some don t. If you machine does not then carefully pickup one hand from your quilt and use your hand wheel to put your needle down. Then you can remove both hands. How do I start and stop? When you start you need to put your needle down into the quilt once, then bring the needle up. Tug on your top thread just a little and your bobbin thread should pop up to the top. Pull your two threads back out of the way so they are fairly long and begin stitching. When you stop, put your needle up, lift your presser foot, pull your quilt out a ways and cut your threads long. When you are all done with your blocks you will bury your thread tails in the quilt layers. See this video tutorial on how to burying your thread tails. How fast should I go? Start off slow/medium. What speed you go is a preference, but whatever the case you need to make sure you move your hands at the right tempo for the speed you are going on your machine. If you move your hands to fast and your machine is going slow, you will get super long stitches. If you move your hands too slow while your machine is going fast you will get itty bitty stitches. So just try to find a balance that gives you medium regular stitches. This takes time, and lots of practice, so don t fret. And don t rip your stitches out unless the stitches greatly effect the quality of the quilt, as in they may fall out when washed. Keep in mind no one will ever be looking at the stitches as close as you are! What if I do end up needing to rip some stitches out? As I said in the question above, ONLY rip your stitch if your made a HUGE mistake or the quality of the quilt is at stake. If you do end up having to rip stitches out here is a Un-Tutorial on how to seam rip a quilt by Angela Walters. What s the best way to practice FMQ? First practice by drawing quilting designs continuously with paper and pencil. Do this over and over and over to lock in the muscle and mind memory. Second practice on test quilt sandwiches approximately 10 x 10. Third practice quilting blocks, or place mats, or table runner. Smaller items are always best to start with. Don t be scared just go for it! Also you can try taking the thread out of your machine and stitching through computer paper. How dense should my quilting be? Again a preference issue! The more dense your stitching the more time involved. I personally love a very dense completely quilted quilt. Do keep in mind that when quilting more dense it uses a lot of thread and can stiffen the quilt slightly. If you space you quilting it will be a bit more snugly. The top tension looks beautiful, but the back is a nightmare, what s wrong? Well I d have to see the stitches to know better, but if you start to see eye lash looking stitches on the back in the curves, this usually means you are moving your hands to quickly through the curves. You will need to practice moving in and out of the curves with the same speed. Also if you machine s tension works just fine while piecing regularly, but is terrible when FMQ, most likely you are experiencing user error. Here is a FANTASTIC tutorial on FMQ tension, by Leah Day.

4 4 Finishing: Trimming/Squaring your Quilted Block up SUPPLY LIST Finished, Quilted Block Quilting Ruler Chalk Pencil or Marking Pen Rotary Cutter Wet Rag Step #1 Once you have finished quilting your block you will need to trim and square it up to 14.5 square. Before you quilted you block you marked lines one inch from the seam where the block and border meet. If those lines have disappeared at all you will need to remark them and darken your chalk line. Step #2 Your original lines should now be very visible. Step #3 Line your ruler up with the 1/4 mark on the chalk line you made and cut with a rotary cutter. Do this on all sides. Your block should now be Step #4 Take a wet wash cloth and softly wipe your chalk line away. Your block can now be set aside. We will join the blocks later on in the BOM.

5 THE SOUND WAVE

6 THE SOUND WAVE

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